


Heat

by Kittenskysong



Series: Parallel [1]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Genre: Heat Stroke, Imprisonment, Murder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:01:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24724957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenskysong/pseuds/Kittenskysong
Summary: After the events of the green candle Tommy heads to the desert to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately Rita isn't content with just taking his powers and turns his pleasant trip into a nightmare.
Series: Parallel [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2172306
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3
Collections: Tommy in trouble





	1. Chapter 1

Tommy Oliver was finally beginning to get used to not being on call 24/7 and not being the Green Ranger. For a few days, his brain felt like it had been drowning in Novocain, but that too was beginning to dissipate with the passage of time.

He decided that he would go into the desert and watch the sunrise. It was something he enjoyed doing, but hadn't been able to enjoy while he was the Green Ranger. He packed up breakfast, locked up the house, and drove off to enjoy himself.

His parents and sister went to Los Angeles for the weekend. Tommy was glad they were gone. It wasn't that he didn't love them all dearly. It was he was tired of fielding questions about his constant exhaustion. His parents had enough to worry about with his sister's brittle bone disorder, and they did not need to worry about Tommy on top of it.

The sunrise was everything he had hoped for.

\---

Rita Repulsa was in an incredibly bad mood. Not only had her Green Ranger betrayed her, but had also managed to keep her from getting the Green powers back. How she hated him! She wanted nothing more than to see him dead. More than that, she wanted to see him suffer.

She watched him through her telescope as he sat on the hood of his car and watched the sunrise. She reflected that she could send down a monster. Without his powers Tommy would be easy prey. Or she could really prolong his agony.

"Finster!" she shrieked She turned from her telescope and stormed into the dog alien's laboratory. "What happened to the Shrien Bracelet?"

Finster stopped working for a single moment and considered her question for several moments. Walking over to a drawer, he opened it and pulled out not one but two bracelts. "They’re designed to work in conjunction, my queen. You wear this one and put this one on the person you want to tether to you. The spell will cause them to teleport back to you when they get a certain distance away."

Rita grabbed the bracelets and stormed out of the room. She called for her henchman Goldar. The baboon stalked into the room and she gave him a series of commands. Now she would wait and see if her plan would work out.

__

  
"Nice view, Green Ranger." At the sound of Goldar's voice, Tommy leaped off the hood of his car and fell into a fighting stance. Despite no longer having powers, he was not going to go down without a fight. Goldar attacked driving the teen back.

  
Tommy found himself pressed against the side of the car. Goldar feinted to the right and when Tommy moved to block, Goldar slapped something cold and metallic onto the teen's wrist. Tommy looked down at the bracelet confused. "What's this supposed to be?"

  
"A gift." Goldar's foot connected with Tommy's chest, sending the teen sprawling in the dirt. Gasping, Tommy struggled to sit up. Goldar knelt beside him, pressing his knee into Tommy's chest. Tommy tried pushing him off to no avail. Goldar reached into Tommy's pocket and retrieved the car keys.

"Get the fuck off me!" Tommy gasped out pounding his fists on Goldar's massive chest. Goldar just smirked down at the former Ranger. Tommy couldn't breathe. His ribs felt like they were being crushed. "Please!"

Goldar finally relented and moved his weight off the teen. Tommy gasped in a breath, his aching lungs protesting. He didn't have the energy to get up. All he could do was watch as Goldar opened the door to the car and peered inside. The baboon did something that Tommy couldn't see and then came back tossing the keys in the air. "Good-bye, Green Ranger! Enjoy the rest of your miserable life!"

Goldar vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving Tommy gasping on the desert sand like a fish out of water. Finally, Tommy's head stopped spinning and he slowly stood up. He ran his fingers up his side and decided his ribs were bruised, but probably not broken. He looked at the bracelet on his wrist and scowled.

It didn't look all that spectacular. It was a simple golden hand with some kind of alien writing. Looking at it, Tommy couldn't see what use it would be in trying to defeat the Rangers, and couldn’t tell if it had some hidden depth. Why put it on him? He wasn't even a threat anymore. Rita had already seen to that.

He tried undoing the bracelet only to find out it wouldn't open. There didn't even seem to be a way to open it. It was slightly too small to just slide off. He thought about it for a minute. Certainly, Goldar had fastened it on him which meant that it did open somehow. "Magic. Man, I hate magic."

Tommy didn't have his communicator. He had taken it off and thrown it into the ocean in a fit of rage a few days before. It was just a reminder of what he had lost. What the Green Candle had stolen from him. That didn't mean that he was helpless or on his own. It would be a simple manner to go to one of the active Rangers and have them contact Zordon. The ancient sage would know what the bracelet was and probably how to get it off.

Tommy walked to his car and looked in. An identical bracelet had been fastened onto the steering wheel. Tommy frowned at it and examined it. It too couldn't be opened or removed. He sighed heavily. There was still no clue as to what they were. His only chance was Zordon.

Luckily, it was only a couple hours walk back to Angel Grove. He had a little bit of water. Enough for the trip anyway. He couldn't see what Goldar had accomplished by taking his keys. Tommy would still be home before the day was out and he had a copy of the keys at home.

He knew his best friend Jason Lee Scott would be glad to drive him back out. Or teleport him, which would be even faster. Tommy started walking, using the sun as a guide. As the day warmed up and became hot, Tommy stopped to take his shirt off. He drank the last of his water as he came in sight of the gas station he had filled his tank from that morning.

He was thinking about how nice the air-conditioned interior and a bottle of water would be when he felt the bracelet on his wrist start vibrating. Tommy held his arm up, frowning at it, The metal was glowing and the alien writing on it pulsating. "What?"

There was a flash of light and a sensation Tommy knew well. The sensation of teleportation. When it let go, Tommy went to his knees in the sand. He stood, slowly brushing himself off and then just stood staring in horror. He was back standing next to his car, in the middle of the desert.

After a minute, Tommy swallowed hard. With a grim determination, he made his way back towards town. This time it was much more difficult. With no water, the heat pressed on him from all sides. Once again he found himself being teleported at the moment the gas station came into sight.

Tommy went into a rage. He kicked the car tires and pounded his fists on the hood. Finally, though, his strength gave out and he sank to the ground next to the car. He stared wearily at the bracelet on his hand. Such a small thing. Such a simple thing. A simple thing that could probably kill him.

\---

Tommy grit his teeth. He was not going to die like an animal in a trap. In frustration, he started off again. When he materialized back at the car a third time, he didn't have the strength to throw another tantrum.

He sank to the ground in the scant shade provided by his car. His head was already pounding and his tongue felt dry in his mouth. His parents wouldn't be home until Sunday, so they wouldn't even know he was missing until then.

Tommy was not sure if the active Rangers would realize because he had been a little evasive about his weekend plans. They would all be talking about Ranger stuff. Tommy hadn’t wanted the reminder of not being a Power Ranger anymore. Tommy thought of Zordon, the ancient sage who mentored the Rangers.

Zordon might realize Tommy was in danger... or he might not. Tommy wasn't sure Zordon cared about humans who weren't Rangers. Certainly, he had failed to protect Tommy from Rita's initial spell.

That's not fair.

Fighting back tears, Tommy pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face against them. The sun beat down on him relentlessly.

\---

  
Monday morning, Angel Grove High 

  
"Have you seen Tommy?" Kimberly Anne Hart's voice interrupted Jason Lee Scott's thoughts. The Red Ranger turned and looked at his friend and teammate with a slight frown on his face.

"Not since the dance," Jason said as he shut his locker door. He glanced in the direction of Tommy's locker and noticed the former Green Ranger wasn't there. His frown deepened slightly in worry. "You haven't seen him either?" he asked the girl.

Kim shook her head. "I know he's always late for school, but we were supposed to get together on Saturday. He never showed or called. The last time he stood me up..." Kim trailed off and Jason grimaced.

Tommy had stood Kim up once before because he had been kidnapped and made into Rita's evil Green Ranger. Jason didn't want to think about his friend under Rita's control again. "If he doesn't show up by lunchtime, let’s check in with Zordon," Jason suggested. "More than likely, though, Tommy's just been tired. You know the loss of his powers drained him."

Kim was about to answer, to ask why they couldn't contact Zordon now when someone called. "Kimberly! Jason!" The teens both turned to see Captain Jack Oliver, Tommy's father, striding towards them.

"Captain Oliver," Jason said, greeting the police captain.

Jack had never been one to mince words and he got right to the point. "Have either of you seen my son?" Kim and Jason traded horrified looks and Jack seemed to deflate. "So he didn't just spend the night somewhere and forget to call."

"I haven't seen him since the dance." Jason could not help the note of panic that was beginning to creep into his voice. Now he KNEW they needed to go to Zordon. Tommy could be in a whole lot more trouble than Captain Oliver knew.

"He drove me home. But I haven't seen him since. He was supposed to meet me Saturday but he never showed. I just thought he overslept or something." Kim had tears in her eyes and Jack sighed.

"His mom and I had to take Kelsey back to Los Angeles for an experimental treatment, so we didn’t get home until last night. His car is gone and most of the food we left is untouched. I am really worried, kids. If you see him, tell him to call me."

"I saw him." They all turned to face the speaker. Eugene Skullovich stood there dressed in his customary leather outfit. He was chewing gum per usual, but he looked more somber than either Jason or Kim had ever seen him. "On Saturday."

Jack took a step towards Skull who stepped back nervously. "When on Saturday?"

Skull frowned in thought and his friend Farkus Bulkmeyer growled at him. "Think, pea brain! This is important!”

"Don't you think I know that?" Skull snapped back and Bulk looked shocked. Skull never snapped like that. "I don't know, okay? I took a shift at my uncle's gas station on the outskirts of town. Tommy filled his gas tank up. All I know is that it was really early in the morning and he said something about watching the sunrise."

Jack went pale, "So none of you have seen him in about forty-eight hours?" The teens all shook their heads solemnly. Jack heaved a sigh. "Eugene, I will need to speak with you since you probably saw him last."

Skull nodded and handed his school books to Bulk. The others watched him follow Jack towards the administration office.

\---

Bulk headed for class but Kim and Jason ducked around a corner to a deserted hallway. "This is bad," Kim stated softly. “REALLY bad!"

Jason nodded in agreement. He wished there was time to call the others, but they were probably in class. "We're going to the Command Center." Jason activated his teleportation and Kim followed suit.

The Red and Pink Rangers materialized in the Command Center and looked up at Zordon. The ancient sage spoke first. "Is something amiss?"

"Tommy's missing." Kimberly burst out.

"Missing?" Alpha Five, the small robot who was Zordon's assistant, repeated.

"Yes, Alpha. Missing." Jason said grimly. "He went to watch the sunrise on Saturday morning but never came home. I was hoping you could scan for him. I know he doesn't have a Power Coin and he wasn't wearing his Communicator the last time I saw him Still I was hoping you could find him."

"Alpha, scan for Tommy." Zordon boomed down.

Alpha pushed a few buttons on the console. After a moment, he spoke. "Well, that was easy. Look at the viewing globe."

Tommy appeared in the globe leaning against his car. Jason thought he looked sick and wondered if Tommy had been in the desert this entire time. Why hadn't he just driven home?

"His car must have broken down." Kim whirled around. "He doesn't look good. Can we teleport him here?"

"Certainly." Alpha hit another button and in a flash of gray light, Tommy appeared in the Command center.J

Jason reached for his friend had in fact almost touched his best friend when Tommy vanished. This was no customary teleportation beam, and there was no sound of teleportation. He simply wasn't there anymore. "What?" Jason stammered out.


	2. Two

  
"What just happened?" Jason yelled, whirling on Alpha.

  
"Aye, Yi Yi!" Alpha hit the buttons on the console again and Tommy teleported in again. For a split second everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then Tommy vanished.

  
"Well, now what?" Kim asked staring at the viewing globe. Tommy was back by the car, slumped down in the sand. It looked as if he had given up.

  
"Call the others. Maybe one of them will have a suggestion." Jason was angrier than he'd ever been. Not even when the Green Ranger appeared and trashed the Command Center had he been quite this mad. Hadn't Rita fucked with Tommy enough?

  
Trini Kwan arrived first, teleporting into the Command Center in a flash of yellow. "I had to lie to get out of math," she said frowning. "What's up?"

  
Before anyone could answer her question, Billy Cranston and Zack Taylor arrived in blue and black flashes of light. Billy looked put out, which meant he had been in the middle of some experiment and Zack looked worried. Both echoed Trini's question.

  
"Rita," Jason growled. "She’s done something to Tommy."

  
"Now what?" Zack asked making a face. "What more COULD she do to him?"

  
"He's in the desert. Every time we’ve tried teleporting him here, he just teleports back. I don't think he's doing it himself, so... Rita." Jason responded the others could hear his barely controlled rage in his voice. 

They looked at the scene in the viewing globe. Tommy was slumped on the ground in front of his car in a posture of abject misery. It was clear he had given up on being rescued. "How long has he been out there?" Zack broke the silence, the sound of worry in his voice.

  
"Saturday morning... so over two days," Kimberly said, her voice cracking. "Skull saw him Saturday morning when Tommy stopped to get gas. Said he was going to watch the sunrise."

  
"Three days without water," Zack murmured.

  
"That's not entirely accurate. Given the arid condition and the stress, it's unlikely he will last another day." Billy was pacing the floor as he spoke. None of the others needed Trini to translate for a change. Tommy was going to die sooner rather than later if they didn't do something. "Could we take supplies to him?"

  
The others all looked at each other and Jason glanced up a Zordon. The ancient Sage was usually hard to read, but right now he looked furious. "I believe so," Zordon responded.

\---

The Rangers teleported to Tommy's location fifteen minutes later, carrying a large umbrella for shade, as well as food and water. Alpha had come with them, bringing some medical supplies.

  
Tommy had fallen from a sitting position to his side and lay motionless. Only the hitching of his chest attested to the fact he still drew breath. Kim knelt and pulled his head onto her lap. Tommy didn't seem to know they were there.  
After several tries, Alpha managed to get an IV of fluids in a vein on his arm while the rest of them watched Tommy's breath slowly even out. His eyelids fluttered and slowly Tommy opened his eyes.

  
"Kim?" he croaked her name out.

  
"Shh." Kim put a finger to his lips. "It's alright. You're going to be alright."

  
"Here." Billy helped prop their friend up and put a glass to his lips. Tommy took one gulping swallow of the water and Billy pulled back. "Any more and you will puke it up."

  
"Others?" Tommy managed.

  
"Zack and Trini are setting up a bit of shade. Jason went to talk to your father." Kim brushed the sand off of her boyfriend's face. "Don't talk! Save your strength!"

\---

Jack Oliver sat across a table from the teen, who by his own admission had been the last person to see Tommy. Skull was pale and shaking. Jack was thinking maybe they should take a break.

  
There wasn't much more the kid could tell him, in any case. Not that Skull's account gave any information. Tommy had stopped, gassed up his car and drove off. The next car had not come by for another hour, so no one had been following Tommy. It simply didn't make any sense. Tommy was not the type of person to go off into the desert and not come back.

  
"You're sure he wasn’t acting strange?" Jack pressed again.

  
"What else can I say?" Now Skull's voice broke. "I told you everything! I--"

  
A flash of red light interrupted the teen. Jack and Skull both turned to see the Red Ranger standing in a corner of the room. Slowly Jack set down the pen he had been holding. Before he could say anything, the superhero spoke.

  
"Jack Oliver? I have news about your son Tommy."

  
"Is he alright?" Jack rose to his feet. "Please tell me he's alright."

  
"Not exactly. Rita apparently saw him alone in the desert and decided to have some fun with him. She cast a spell that keeps teleporting him back to his car. Which wouldn't be so bad if she hadn't disabled the car. We've got some supplies to him and we are working on breaking the spell. We’ll update you when we know more."

  
Jack sat down, slowly looking from the ranger to Skull. "Thank you," he managed finally. "Skull, you can go home if you want to."

–--

Jason teleported into the desert and winced as the heat hit him. It was always a shock teleporting out of an air-conditioned room into the desert heat. He demorphed and joined his friends. Tommy was leaning against Kim blinking sleepily, but at least Jason thought his friend was awake.

  
"Hey." Jason sat down on Tommy's other side. The others were gathered around the area.

  
"You came," Tommy whispered.

  
"Of course we came!" Zack rolled his eyes. "Did you really think we wouldn't?"

  
"I didn't think you would be able to find me. I thought I was going to die." Tommy swiped at his eyes with one arm, even though he didn't have enough moisture for tears... even with the IV Alpha had set in his arm.

"What happened? Can you tell us? We might be able to do something if we know the details." Jason kept his voice low and gentle. He knew Tommy was still very sick, and the guy probably didn't need more stress.

  
"Goldar attacked me, and slapped this on." Tommy held up his left hand showing them the bracelet. "There's one just like it fastened to the steering wheel of the car. Then he took my keys. I think it’s some sort of tether."

  
The small robot who had come with them examined the bracelet, cocking his head from side to side. "I will teleport to the Command Center and see if we have any information on it." He vanished in a flash of light.

\---

Rita looked down on the scene with growing anger. They were going to rescue Tommy. "Finster! I need a monster, something to keep those brats busy. Goldar while they’re busy, you go destroy the shade and get that IV out of his arm!" She snapped orders at her henchmen.

  
She was not going to let the Rangers ruin her plans, not this time. Tommy was going to die, one way or another.


	3. three

The Rangers actually relaxed for a bit. Tommy was safe. It was true he was still stuck in the desert, but they had gotten him liquids and shade. For the moment the only thing they could do was wait.

The sound of their communicators shattered the silence that had fallen around them. Jason answered. "Zordon? Have you figured out how to get Tommy untethered.”

“Unfortunately, no. I am afraid we have another problem,” Zordon responded to the leader of the Power Rangers.

“She sent down a monster, didn’t she?” Jason’s tone was not that of someone asking a question, but instead of someone stating what they already knew to be fact. “I don’t like this, Zordon. Tommy's in no condition to be left alone.”

“I know, but she has already grown the monster to city-wrecking proportions. You are going to have to call your ‘zords.” The Rangers all let out collective groans.

Tommy reached out and caught a hold of Jason’s shirt. The Red Ranger looked down at his friend. “Go," Tommy’s voice was a weak croak, but still understandable. Jason began to protest and Tommy shook his head. “Jase, you know you don’t have a choice. Please. It's hard enough without other people dying for me.”

After the others morphed and teleported away, Tommy leaned back against the pillows that Alpha had left for him and sighed. Despite what he had told the others, he wished they hadn’t gone. Also, he felt useless. That was the worst thing about the power loss, the feeling of uselessness.

A noise made him look up. Goldar stood in front of him smiling. “No,” Tommy whimpered. “No, please.”

Goldar reached down with one massive paw and grabbed Tommy by the arm. He hauled the teen to his feet, despite Tommy’s struggles to escape. He grasped the needle going into Tommy’s arms and pulled it smoothly out.

Goldar gave the teen a shove. Tommy loudly slammed into the car and slid down it into the sand. Moaning in pain, Tommy could only watch as Rita’s henchman trashed the supplies that the Rangers had brought to the location. When he was finished, Goldar stood over Tommy. “You're going to die today, even if the Rangers beat this monster. It will keep them away from you just long enough for you to die. And it won't be pleasant.”

He vanished in a flash of gold light and Tommy felt his chest shudder as a sob tore from him. Goldar was right. He was going to die. There was no hope. Nothing left. Tommy was spent.

The IV had bought him time, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. Dully, he looked at his hand. Maybe he could cut it off. Tommy picked up a piece of glass left from the cup Billy had helped him drink from.

Slowly he put the glass to his wrist just under the bracelet and with a cry of disgust, he threw the shard out into the desert sand. That was a stupid idea! He had nothing to stop the bleeding with! He would bleed out, which might actually be marginally better than heatstroke.

Feeling completely helpless and depressed, the former Green Ranger pulled his legs to his chest and mourned.

–

The Monster that Rita had sent down was called Battella. A fact that had made Kim roll her eyes and ask if Rita was in a rut since all the monsters had lame names lately. Unfortunately, while her name might have been lame, her attacks were pretty powerful.

She looked like a cross between a bat and a human, complete with giant wings that allowed her to fly up and dive-bomb the Megazord. Plus she kept throwing bats at them that exploded on contact. All told, she was doing a number on the rangers. “We don’t have time for this,” Jason snarled and pulled out the Dragon Dagger.

He blew into it, playing the notes that would summon the Dragonzord. Batella was so busy blasting the Megazord, she didn’t even know the other ‘zord was there until its rockets hit her. Finally, the Rangers managed to rally and fight back.

It didn't take long. The monster vanished in a flash of colored lights. Billy stated flatly, “It seems her offensive capabilities were much stronger than her defensive ones.”

“That’s just stupid,” Kim replied. “I mean, shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

“Well, considering this was most likely a distraction...” Billy started but trailed off. The Rangers teleported back to where they had left their friend. For a moment, they just stared in horror at the devastation, Billy heaved a sigh. “Like I said, a distraction.”

They demoprhed and Kim knelt by Tommy, who lifted his head and looked them tiredly. “Go away.” He lowered his head back to his knees. Kim put an arm around his shoulder and Tommy shoved her off. “I said, ‘Go away!’ You're not going to be able to save me and I don’t want you to watch me die.”

“You are not going to die.” Trini knelt on his other side.

“If you bring me more supplies, Rita will just have them destroyed. And since I can't get away from the car... yes, I am going to die.” Tommy told her flatly.

“I have been considering different scenarios as to how to get you out of this dilemma--” Billy began and Tommy interrupted him.

“No offense, Billy, but I don’t have the energy to try and puzzle out what you're saying. For once, could you quit it with the technobabble?” 

Billy blinked, but didn’t respond to Tommy’s veiled insult. The young genius knew that his friend was frightened and lashing out.

Instead, he activated his communicator and spoke into it. “Alpha, could you teleport Tommy’s car to the Command Center?”

The others looked at him in shock. It was so simple, “If Mohammad cant come to the mountain,” Zack muttered.

The answer from Alpha was almost immediate. "Yes... yes, I can." The little robot's voice was full of happiness.

The Rangers teleported first, leaving Tommy alone. He sighed, sure this would all be for nothing. Rita would probably interfere and prevent the car from being teleported. So when it vanished, he was completely stunned.

-

It did not take long for the bracelets to activate. Tommy was deposited in a heap on the floor of the command center. He slowly sat up and looked around. "You know, I am beginning to get sick and tired of being teleported without my permission."

"We aren’t going to let Rita teleport you anymore," Zordon told the ex-Ranger. "Also, I have figured out the identity of the bracelets."

"Oh!" Tommy accepted Jason and Kim's help to a chair Alpha had teleported in. He needed the help, his legs felt all weak and wobbly. "What is it? Can we get it off of me soon?"

"It is called a Shirlen bracelet, after the Elterian scientist who invented it." Zordon's voice was mild.

"Wait, YOUR people made it?" Zack blurted. "I was under the impression you all were the good guys?"

"Every society has bad apples, Zack," Zordon responded in the same mild tone. "However, Shirlen was one of the... ‘good guys,’ as you put it. The bracelets were made for lawbreakers. Each can be programmed with a distance, get that and you’re teleported back. Usually, they were used on individuals on what you may refer to as house arrest. One bracelet was fastened to a post in their yard and the other to them. Unfortunately, without one of the keys removing it is nearly impossible."

Trini had been peering in the windows of Tommy's car, a small frown on her face. She opened the door and stuck her head in. Pulling out, she turned to Billy. "Do you think the steering wheel comes off?"  
Billy moved to her side and looked in. He didn't say anything just smiled hugely and teleported out.

He returned less than ten minutes later with a toolbox. Billy was just as good with machines as he was with science. In fact, he often said that mechanics was simply another form of science. It didn’t take him very long to get the steering wheel off. He handed it to Tommy with a flourish, as if he expected his friend to clap.

Tommy took it bemused. "So I’ll just carry a steering wheel around for the rest of my life?"


	4. Four

  
Billy rolled his eyes, reached into the toolbox and produced a saw. It made short work of cutting through the steering wheel. Billy removed the bracelet and handed it to Tommy, who took it and turned it over and over.

"Until we figure out how to get its mate off you, do not lose that," Billy advised flatly.

  
"Go home. Your family is worried," Zordon spoke in that same gentle voice.

  
"Can I?" Tommy whispered. He did not want to say he was scared to leave the Command Center.

  
"I’ll go with you." Jason stepped to Tommy's side. "Come on."

–

Jack Oliver set a plate of scrambled eggs in front of his wife. She looked down at it but didn't make a move to pick up the fork and eat. Even though he had cooked sausage into it and sprinkled it with mozzarella cheese, just the way she and their daughter both liked it.

  
“You need to eat," Jack said gently.

  
"How can I eat when that bitch is after our son?" Jessie sounded as if she was barely holding it together. Jack didn't really know how to answer her. He was trying to figure out what would reassure her when the doorbell rang.

  
Jack opened the door and with a cry of both joy and relief, pulled his son into a hug. "Dad!" Tommy pressed his face into his father's chest. "Dad!"

  
Jessie was on her feet in a second. She didn't walk, but ran the few steps that separated her from her husband and her son. Tommy turned to her. "Mom!" She wrapped her arms around him and he lay his head on her shoulder. "Where's Kelsey?" he asked, referring to his four-year-old sister.

"Mrs. Taylor is babysitting her." Jessie pulled back and brushed Tommy's hair off of him. She frowned, thinking he didn't look good at all. She glanced up then and saw the Red Ranger standing on her steps. "Thank you."

  
"You should take him to the hospital," the superhero said grimly. "We did what we could, but he's still somewhat dehydrated."

  
"We will," Jack said. "We will."

–

The doctor who examined Tommy was gentle. He ordered an IV of saline and electrolytes. 

  
"What are those?" Jason asked. He had come to the hospital in civilian clothes and refused to leave his friend's side. Since Tommy was calmer with Jason there, everyone had decided to let Jason stay.

  
"Potassium and other nutrients should bring his blood pressure up," the doctor responded.

  
"I am right here." Tommy growled. "You could talk TO me instead of OVER me." He sounded tired. The doctor looked at Tommy for a long moment.  
"You are a very lucky young man. You're going to be just fine.”

–

Rita was angry... no, Rita was furious! Once again, Tommy had escaped his fate. For once, she grumbled, things were going to go her way. No matter what, she was going to see Tommy Oliver dead.

  
An idea occurred to her and she turned to her henchman. "Goldar, go kill Tommy."

  
"We’ve already tried that," Goldar pointed out. "Every spell or monster that we try, he still gets away from us. He's got more luck than anyone has the right to have."

  
"Imbecile!" Rita hit him over his head and shoulders with her wand. He actually sounded like he admired the human, which infuriated her worse than anything else about this whole situation. "Use your thrice-cursed sword and stab him!"

  
Goldar vanished in a shower of golden light.

–

Jessie stepped into the room Tommy was in. "Bad news."

  
Tommy was looking better. There was more color in his cheeks and he was sitting up under his own power. "Don't want bad news," he grumbled. He looked at his mother, noticing there was more worry in her eyes. "Just tell us."

  
"Kelsey fell down. Mrs. Taylor said she tripped, so your dad and I need to go get her."

  
Tommy bit back a sigh. But after four years of living with Kelsey, who had been born with both her arms and legs broken, and who broke if you looked at her wrong, he knew the drill. "She broke something?"  
"Most likely. I could stay..."

  
"Go," Jason spoke from the visitor's chair he sat in. "Everything will be fine." Later, Jason would regret those words because nothing was fine... nothing was fine at all.

–

For ten minutes after Jessie left, it was actually fine. Jason and Tommy talked. The IV was doing plenty to make Tommy feel better and he seemed to begin to relax. Jason started squirming and Tommy raised one eyebrow. "Jase, are you ok?"

  
"I have to, uh... hit the restroom." Jason turned as red as his shirt. "Tommy, will you be ok for a couple of minutes?"

  
"Sure." Tommy said "Jase, I"m in a crowded hospital. I really don’t think Rita's going to try anything here." Reluctantly, Jason agreed. Besides, he really had to go."

–

Tommy was dozing into a light sleep when a very unwelcome voice spoke bringing him wide awake. "Time to die, Tommy." Tommy rolled off the bed just as Goldar's sword came down where Tommy had been a split-second earlier.

  
"Goldar!" Tommy stared wide-eyed at the alien ape. With a laugh, Goldar attacked. Tommy had no idea why no one came. Surely someone had to hear the fight! He didn't know that the sound got lost in the shouts of doctors and nurses dealing with his little sister, who had been brought in a large car crash coming in right behind her.

–

Alerted by Zordon, Jason ran harder than he had ever run before, ignoring the shouts to sow down. He hit the door of the room Tommy was in just in time to see Goldar slam his sword into Tommy's stomach. "NO!" Jason yelled.

  
Goldar laughed cruelly and slowly pulled the sword out. He vanished in a flash of golden light.

  
Tommy looked down at his stomach. The gaping wound had begun to bleed almost immediately. He pressed his hands down on it. He looked up at Jason. "Jason?" It sounded like he was asking a question. His eyes rolled up and he went down.


	5. Chapter 5

  
Jason was next to Tommy in a heartbeat yanking his shirt over his head he pressed it to the wound. "Hang on! Tommy, hang on!"

  
"It’s cold," Tommy gasped. He tried to say something else, but Jason could not quite make it out.

  
"Don't talk." Jason pressed harder, then yelled, "Help me! Someone help!" He could feel wetness beneath him. Looking down, Jason was horrified to realize with horror that he was kneeling in a spreading pool of blood. "HELP!"

  
Hands grabbed him, pulling Jason back. His own mother, Doctor Lisa Scott's voice telling him to back up let them help. Jason obeyed, stumbling back. Lisa grabbed him. "Jason, what happened?"

  
"It was Goldar he-- his sword. He stabbed Tommy and I couldn’t stop him." He heard her sharp intake of breath.

  
"Go wait in the waiting room."

  
"Mom..."

  
"Go!" Lisa gave him a shove and feeling cold himself, Jason obeyed her. As he made his way through the commotion, he heard his mom giving orders. "He's been stabbed with Goldar's broad sword. We need to get him into surgery now!"

\--

Jason sat numbly in the waiting room. He kept hearing Tommy saying his name over and over. Tommy had sounded like a small child asking why. It was a question Jason had no answer for.

“Jason?” The sound of Kim’s voice snapped Jason out of his daze. He looked up at her, her brown eyes bright in her pale face. “What happened?”

There was a note of anger in her voice. Jason flinched away from it. “I needed to pee. I needed to pee so I left him,” Jason whispered. “I left him alone and Goldar stabbed him.”

  
Billy, Zack and Trini had come in moments after Kim. They all stopped cold, with identical looks of horror crossing their faces.

  
“You left him alone?” Kim all but exploded. “You said you would keep an eye on him! I trusted you!”

  
“I know!” The anguish in Jason’s voice could not be denied and it melted Kim’s anger. She sat down and put an arm around him.

  
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  
“But you’re right!” Jason said on a sob. “It’s my fault.”

  
“No.” Kim said softly. “It’s Goldar’s.” Jason buried his face in her shoulder and grieved.  
\--

  
Jessie Oliver was torn in two, one of her children was having pins put in one arm. The other was having emergency surgery in a desperate attempt to save his life. To make matters worse, Jack had been called into work.

  
She sat on a chair in the waiting room of the hospital, trying to read a book. She couldn’t seem to focus on it long enough to remember any thing she read.

  
Occasionally, she looked up. Jason sat across from her, staring at his feet. She had tried talking him, to tell him it was not his fault. She didn’t think he believed her. The rest of Tommy’s friends sat around them in other chairs, all of them just waiting.

  
“Jess?” Kelsey’s orthopedic surgeon Andy Farley came out first. Farley had met the Oliver’s under less-than-ideal circumstances. Two days after moving to Angel Grove, Kelsey had broken a bone. Farley had accused them of child abuse.

  
Tommy had found the paper with Kelsey’s diagnosis in one of the boxes and had bought it to the hospital. Farley had not only apologized he had taken great pains to read up on Osteoimperfecta. He was now Kelsey’s main doctor. “Kelsey came through like a trooper, like always. She’s resting comfortably.”

Jessie felt relieved that one of her children was all right. “Do you know anything about Tommy?”

  
“Just that he is still alive and in surgery.” Farley suddenly looked tired and old, his dark eyes troubled. “You can see Kelsey.”

  
Jessie shook her head. “Kelsey always sleeps for hours after surgery. I need to stay here and wait on word on Tommy.” Farley said nothing, just squeezed her shoulder gently.

  
Two hours later, Lisa Scott stepped into the room. She looked tired, pale with dark circles under her eyes. “He’s alive.” She sat down beside Jason. The teens cheered happily, only to fall silent when they realized Lisa was not smiling.

  
“How is he?” Jessie asked

  
“It’s bad. The sword penetrated his pancreas which caused significant blood loss. He has damage to his stomach... We stapled it, but that is actually minor compared to the pancreas. We repaired that as best we could.” Lisa paused for a moment. “The sword damaged his spinal cord when it came out threw his back. He’s in critical condition and all we can do is wait.”

  
“To see if he will walk again?” Jason asked, dazed. Lisa looked at Jessie. She could see that Tommy’s mother knew the answer. Lisa turned and looked at her son. “No, kiddo. We have to wait to see if he will live.”  
\--  
Tommy dreamed many things, some of which he remembered as he began to awaken. A falcon, drifting in the sky. A Native American youth who looked remarkably like Tommy, holding his hand out. Nothing he could hold for long, nothing that made sense.

  
Tommy opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling and a strange numbness in his lower body. Some kind of tube is in his mouth and down his throat. An IV is attached to one hand. He tried calling out managing a weak cry.

  
The Red Ranger, fully morphed had been sitting in a chair. Now he jumped up. “Tommy?”

Tommy mouthed. “Jason?” Around the tube.

  
“I’ll get my mom. Try not to use my name.” Jason ran out of the room. Tommy tried to work out what had happened. He remembered the desert, and the Command Center after the Rangers rescued him.

  
After that, everything was a confused jumbled mess. Tommy could not seem to bring it into focus. “Tommy?” Lisa’s voice interrupted his racing thoughts. He tried answer her, but only a weak moan came out.

  
Tommy was becoming aware of a pain in his abdomen. It felt bruised and tender. Even more disturbing was the numbness below his navel. It was as if someone had giving him a shot of Novocain or something.

  
Lisa was putting her stethoscope to his chest. She frowned lowering it to his abdomen. Tommy looked and winced; bandages crisscrossed his stomach. He remembered suddenly, Goldar’s sword had been so cold.

  
The cold had been everything, not the pain or fear... just the cold. He would have asked how bad, but he was not sure he really wanted to know.

  
“Tommy, if you can understand me, blink once.” Lisa said as she straightened up. Tommy blinked once, feeling confused. She nodded. Tommy waited, there wasn’t anything else he could do. “I’m going to get your dad in a moment, but first I want to level with you. Your injuries are very severe and life threatening. There is a good chance of recovery, but there’s also a good chance of it going the other way. We’re going to do everything we can to keep you alive."

  
Tommy shook his head. Tears welled in his eyes. He was only sixteen! He could not die! Not at sixteen! There was so much he had not yet done.

  
Lisa spoke again. "I need you to fight it. You have to focus on getting better. Blink once if you understand.” After a moment Tommy blinked.  
She left and a minute later returned with Jack Oliver in tow. The police captain immediately rushed to Tommy's side. "Tommy-boy," he couldn’t hug the teen due to all the wires and tubes. He put a gentle hand to his son's face.

  
Tommy leaned into the caress. He mouthed. "Daddy...." Around the tube. He had not called Jack Daddy in years.

  
"I'm here, Son. I'm right here." His voice was chocked with emotion. He didn't like the way Tommy looked, pale far too pale and sick.

"Tommy needs to get some rest." Lisa interrupted after few moments. Jack kissed Tommy's forehead and reluctantly stood up.

  
After the grownups left, Jason – who had stood to one side – came over to the bed. "Tommy I--" A sob tore out from him and then Jason went on in a rush. "It’s my fault. It’s all my fault."

  
"No," Tommy shook his head. His eyes wanted to slide back closed. It was so hard to focus, but Tommy knew he had to do it. He had to make Jason understand.

  
Tommy raised a hand and looked at it. Kim had taught the Rangers finger-spelling one rainy afternoon. Tommy was not fluent in ASL, none of them were and finger-spelling was slow. At least his finger-spelling was slow, but he thought he could use it to make Jason understand.

  
"Not you... Rita. Goldar. Their fault. You protect Kim." Tommy couldn’t make his hand shape the letters anymore and he dropped it.

  
"I'll protect her,” Jason said, sensing what Tommy was asking. Kim was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Tommy asked because Kim meant more than anything to Tommy. He was also telling Jason that if he died, Jason was to help Kim with her grief. "And she will protect me."  
Tommy nodded and his eyes slid closed. Jason sat back in his chair, watching the rise and fall of his friend’s chest. Fully morphed and ready for trouble, Jason guarded his best friend.  
\--

  
Two days later.

  
Lisa listened to Tommy's chest and frowned. Today, the Black Ranger sat in the chair. She hardly noticed the superhero she was far more concerned with her patient.

  
Despite the respirator, Tommy's lips were blue. His eyes were closed and it looked like he was sleeping. He looked peaceful. To the untrained eye, it would appear he was holding steady. Lisa knew better. Tommy's blood pressure would not come up.

  
He was in and out of consciousness. But the periods of unconsciousness were getting longer. Tommy was weakening.

Despite being given several units of blood, he was losing ground. Lisa sighed heavily as she tapped her fingers on her thigh. "Prep him for surgery." She told the nurse. "I' need to see if I missed something."


	6. Six

  
Four hours later Tommy was tucked back in his bed. His chest rose and fell easily and smoothly. Lisa brushed his hair off of his face. She thought now that he had a chance. She stepped into the waiting room where the Olivers waited.   
"Tommy is on the mend."

  
"You’re sure?" Jack asked.

  
"There was a piece of Goldar's sword in his pancreas. The metal was poisoning him. When I got it out, his blood pressure came up nearly right away." Lisa was smiling now. "He's sleeping but he should wake up soon."

–

Light was the first thing Tommy became aware of. Light which picked his eyelids. Sounds were next, his mother's voice was talking to him. "Tommy? Can you hear me?"

  
Slowly, he opened his eyes to stare at her. "Mom?" his voice was a weak croak, but there was no tube down his throat blocking it now.  
"Baby," Jessie kissed his forehead.

  
Tommy took a breath and was surprised that it didn't hurt. Actually, he felt pretty good. He was sore and his stomach throbbed, but it also itched as if it were healing. "Am I going to be alright?"

  
Jack stepped into Tommy's view. "Yes, Tommy-boy, you are going to be just fine."

-

A week later

  
Tommy stared out of the window. He was bored. Now that he was recovering, Tommy didn't sleep as much, which left a lot of time with nothing to do, so he was bored.

  
Today, Billy was sitting with him and guarding him. Tommy thought Rita was done trying to kill him. He was never going to walk again, which meant he was no threat to anyone now. Sometimes it made him sad, sometimes it made him angry.

  
Tommy had managed to talk his parents into going home and spending time with Kelsey. They needed to spend time with her and under the circumstances, she needed them as much as he did.

  
A bolt of pain spiked suddenly into his head behind his left eye. Tommy put a hand to his head. His left side felt strange, like it had gone completely asleep.

  
"Tommy?" Billy was on his feet. Tommy wondered if the Blue Ranger was frowning. It was hard to tell since Billy was morphed.

  
Tommy tried to answer but his tongue was heavy and flopped uselessly in his mouth. -it hurts- he thought as another bolt of pain hit him. He heard Billy dimly running from the room screaming for a nurse. He felt his body arch and begun shuddering.

  
Consciousness fled as the seizures began. Tommy sank into a warm peaceful whiteness. -it's warm, i always thought it would be cold- That was the last thought Tommy Oliver ever had.

–

Billy watched as people – one of them Lisa Scott – worked on Tommy. He knew the drugs they shouted were to dissolve blood clots. He heard the word ‘posturing’ and sank into a chair. He knew a lot, was smart enough to know a lot. ‘Posturing’ meant a severe possibly of fatal brain damage. Billy shook his head. Tommy had been getting better a few moments ago. He couldn't be dying!

-

Liss Scott counted as she compressed Tommy's chest "Anything?" she asked as she glanced at the heart monitor.

  
"Nothing," Julia Sanchez responded.

  
Lisa looked at the clock. Tommy had seized uncontrollably for twenty minutes, despite being pumped full of anticonvulsant. The seizure had ended with Tommy flat-lining.Twice, she had gotten him stable enough to use the defibrillator. His heart just refused to go back to a normal rhythm. She ordered stimulants and kept trying. She couldn't lose Tommy! What would she tell Jason?

"Come on, baby. Don't do this!" Lisa took Tommy's still face in her hands and looked into his eyes. What she saw there nearly stopped her heart. His eyes were fixed and dilated, but the right one was filling with blood. It was over, years of experience told her that.

  
"Dr. Scott? Lisa?" Julia's voice came from far away.

  
Lisa fought to keep her voice neutral and professional. “Time of death 4:06 pm." She pulled the sheet over Tommy's face.

–

Jason was in a good mood as his dad pulled the family car into the hospital parking lot. Mark looked at his son, frowning. "You're happy."

  
"Why wouldn't I be? Mom said Tommy is going to be okay."

  
Mark raised his eyebrows. "Tommy has a long road ahead of him, kiddo. He isn't going to be okay right away."

  
"At least he's not dying, so I can see him."

  
Jason walked into the hospital and took an elevator up to the floor Tommy was on. As the doors opened, he stopped and hesitated a moment. His mom was talking to Jesse and Jack Oliver as Kelsey sat in a chair nearby. As Jason watched, Jesse sagged in her husband's arms.

  
Jason ran, his mind screaming. "No." He slid to a stop when he saw Billy still morphed, slumped dejectedly in a chair. Why isn't he guarding Tommy?  
"Mom?"

Lisa turned. "Jason--"

  
Before she could say another word, Jason heard the truth in the tone of her voice. "NO! HE’S ALRIGHT! YOU SAID HE WAS ALRIGHT!!"

  
"Sweetie, it was a blood clot. He had a stroke." She reached for her son. "We lost him.”

  
Reflexively, Jason stepped out of her reach. "NO! NO! TOMMY IS FINE!" Mark wrapped his arms around the teen. "LET GO! SHE’S LYING! NOOOOOOOOO!"

  
A heart-wrenching yell of grief tore from Jason’s throat like a wild animal. He struggled against his dad, howling in pain and grief. Dimly, Jason felt the prick of a needle. He twisted again, then slowly sagged in Mark's arms as the sedative took hold.

Jason awoke in a hospital bed. Kim was sitting in a chair next to it. Her eyes were red and puffy. It was apparent she had been crying. "Jase?"

  
"He's dead, isn't he?" It was not really a question. Jason felt the tears coming hard. Felt them spill down his cheeks. “It's my fault."

  
She shook her head. "No..."

  
"If I had gotten the candle."

  
“Jason.."

  
"Leave me alone."

  
He shut his eyes, trying to shut everything out.


	7. Seven

Seven

"I can't do this." Jesse stood at the kitchen counter. It was five days later and the Olivers were getting ready for the funeral.

"Jess--" Jack started, but was interrupted by the doorbell. He rushed to it, part of him hopping... a hope that was deflated when he saw Jason. "Jase, hey."

  
"I need to talk to you," Jason muttered, looking everywhere but at Jack. Jack studied him. Jason was still pale still shaky. His eyes were bloodshot from crying and, Jack thought, probably a lack of sleep.

  
"Alright," Jack held the door open. Jason stepped inside. "What is it? We, uh... have to go soon."

  
"TYRANNOSAURUS!" Jason shouted suddenly. Jack and Jesse stared at him as he transformed into the Red Ranger.   
"Power down."

They ended up driving Jason to the funeral. While Kelsey listened to music through headphones, Jason told her parents the story of the Evil Green Ranger. He told of his failure to get to the green candle, of the impossible choice that he’d had to make when Zack had come for him in the dark dimension.

  
Jack pulled up to the funeral home where the viewing would be. "It's not your fault."

  
"But it IS! I should have gotten the candle if I hadn't left it!"

  
"Tommy would have died then," Jesse stated. "We would not have even had the last few months."

  
"I think..." Jack started, but stopped short. He was determined not to break into sobs himself. How had they been so blind not to realize their son's mood swings after moving to Angel Grove had more than starting a new school in a strange town behind them? "I think he forgave you long ago," he finally said.

  
Jason began to cry again. Jessie got out and slid into the back seat. She held her son's friend. Holding him close, she rocked him like a child. Kelsey - who didn't really understand what was going on - reached over and patted Jason's head. "We have to go on," Jesse whispered. "Tommy would want us to go on.

\---

Three weeks later.

Billy carefully put the flowers he held on the mount of grass, leaning them carefully against the stone dragon. A tablet of stone at the base read:

Thomas Oliver,  
our brave dragon. 

It had Tommy’s birth and death dates, far too close together below that.

  
The Rangers stood in a half-circle around the grave. "There... There's so much..." Jason began. He took a ragged breath. "There's so much I wish I had said to him."

  
"Me too," Zack said, kicking a clod of dirt on the ground. "I think he knows though... wherever he is."

  
Trini brushed dirt off the dragon. "Why a dragon, though?"

  
"Dragonzord." Kim shrugged. "Zordon and Alpha made it. It looks like a fantasy dragon because there would be too many questions if it looked like his ‘Zord. Like, they thought Tommy might like it."

  
Jason put an arm around her shoulders. "He definitely would have."

  
"Jase. How are you doing... seriously?"

  
"It's still hard. But you know that psychiatrist? The one Zordon said I could go to..? It has helped." Jason smiled shakily. "I'm going to be alright. You know Tommy never blamed me as much as I blamed myself. He asked me... before the second surgery... to take care of you."  
Kim reached over and kissed his cheek, and Jason gave her a squeeze in reply. Whatever happened next, Jason knew Tommy Oliver would never be forgotten.

The end... or is it..?


End file.
